North Texas

Formerly Conjoined Ezell Twins Learning to Talk

Formerly conjoined twins Owen and Emmett Ezell are now 2 1/2 years old, and their family says the boys are running, jumping and now learning to talk.

It's an exciting milestone for the twins, who were separated in a risky surgery more than two years ago. The boys were born connected from the chest to the belly button, sharing a liver and intestines.

NBC 5 has followed their journey since birth and recently visited the family at their North Texas home.

Mother Jenni Ezell said she's noticed a big difference in her sons since the removal of the tracheotomy tubes in their necks, which helped the boys breathe as they healed and grew.

"It seems like they're not getting as sick as often and they're starting to vocalize a lot more, which is a lot of fun," she said.

Talking is the next big step, and the boys are working very hard.

"They say, 'Mama, mama,' and I've heard them do the, 'Dada, dada,'" their mother said.

Jenni Ezell, who has a degree in speech therapy, admits this is a tough task.

"As a speech therapist I am very frustrated because I feel like they should be talking and doing so many things, but as a mom, they have come so far, seeing where they started," she said.

March will mark three years since Jenni and her husband Dave learned they were having conjoined twins.

When asked if she ever dreamed the boys would be doing this well, Jenni Ezell said, "No."

"I didn't. I always hoped, but I didn't know for sure. So being where we are now is a really good feeling," she said.

The boys, who have speech and occupational therapy every day, still receive round-the-clock care. Two nurses live at home and feed Owen and Emmett through tubes in their stomachs.

"They still take medicine in the mornings and evenings, and they get breathing treatments," their mother explained, adding that the toughest days are likely behind them.

"We don't have any major medical procedures or anything coming up. It's kind of a breather," Jenni Ezell said.

Ever faithful, the Ezells believe this chapter is part of a greater story, already written.

"Even from before we met, we feel like God was preparing us for these boys and for this situation," Jenni Ezell said.

The twins turn 3 years old in July and will enter preschool in the fall.

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